Netflix Continues Live Programming Trend With New John Mulaney Weekly Show
The comedian previously partnered with Netflix on ‘John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.’
The ranks of late-night luminaries like David Letterman, Johnny Carson, and Conan O’Brien are going to have to make room for a new member. The Hollywood Reporter has details about a newly planned live variety talk show that Netflix plans to offer, which will feature beloved comedian John Mulaney.
Key Details:
- Mulaney’s as-yet-unnamed show will debut on Netflix next year.
- The comedian previously worked with Netflix on a live project earlier this year.
- Netflix is continuing to make additions to its live programming slate in 2025.
THR reports that Mulaney will debut the new, live talk show in early 2025. Specific details are still being held close to the vest, but Mulaney will serve as the executive producer and co-showrunner of the series, so he’ll have plenty of creative control. The series is intended to appear weekly on the streamer.
Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria discussed the streamer’s past experience with Mulaney and said it gave them confidence that his new show would be a popular one.
“We have a long relationship with John, and we have done the stand-up specials, and during Netflix Is a Joke Festival this year, he did a live talk show called ‘Everybody’s in L.A.,’” Bejaria said. “I was there at a couple of the tapings, and it was so bold and original and fresh and unprecedented, unpredictable. And I think it’ll be really fun to get to do a live show with him.”
“John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in L.A.” was a six-part series that saw Mulaney travel Los Angeles to speak with fellow comedians in town, and it was all streamed live. Now, Netflix wants to double down on the success of that show.
Bajaria acknowledged a live late-night talk show could be a risk for Netflix, but said the streamer won’t back away from trying to push its own boundaries simply because the optics look like it isn’t playing things safe.
“I think we have to continue to be bold and take risks and swings,” she said. “And I think it would be too easy and too safe to go, oh, well, you know talk hasn’t worked, so let’s not try this next thing. So I’m excited about pushing into another area.”
Netflix is continuing to get more confident in its ability to stream live events. The ultimate test will be its presentation of two Christmas Day NFL games; if Netflix is able to pull that off smoothly, the sky’s the limit. The streamer will also take over broadcasting duties for “WWE Raw” every week starting next year, which means it now has two live, weekly shows on the schedule already.
Netflix
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